Novels by Olawunmi Olalekan M.

The heavy barrel of the plasma rifle came down within two inches of my nose."Step into the testing lane, Director Julius," the lead guard said, his voice flat through his helmet speaker. He waved a silver device shaped like a fat needle toward a small metal chair. "The chairman's orders are absolute. Nobody boards the Sovereign's Pride without matching their genetic code against the central registry. If your blood does not match your VIP pass, you go into the holding cells.""The system is down for maintenance," Kemi said immediately. She stepped right between me and the guard, her small hand tapping the guard's stolen wrist pad against her thigh to hide the screen. "We just left the harbor office. Vice-Chairman Kola gave us these physical passes specifically because the central database is updating its firewalls for the next twenty minutes. If you try to run a full genetic scan right now, you will crash the primary sector grid."The guard paused, his gloved thumb hovering over the a

The giant twin cannons of the Vanguard warship locked onto us with a heavy, mechanical click.The white light from the ship's main spotlight was so bright that it made my eyes water. We were trapped on a wet stone ledge three inches wide, with the deep, black water of the lagoon swirling right below our boots."Do not move," a loud voice boomed from the warship’s speakers, shaking the air. "You are in a restricted defense zone. Put your hands on your heads or you will be destroyed.""Zane, give me the rifle strap," Kemi said. She did not look at the massive guns pointing at us. Her fingers were already typing a furious code into the guard's stolen wrist-pad. "Tariq, lean your body over mine. Block the light from this screen so the ship's long-range cameras cannot see what I am typing."Tariq shifted his bulk, his dead mechanical arm hanging low, using his wide back to create a patch of shadow over Kemi. "You better have a massive trick up your sleeve, girl. Those cannons will turn thi

The silver drone spun its blades up high, lifting Kemi further into the dark shaft.Ding.Warning: High-density mana bomb detonation in 28 seconds.Escape the blast zone immediately."Zane, don't worry about the countdown!" Kemi called down. She was hanging completely upside down, her hair falling over her face, but her eyes were still burning with that red light. She did not sound scared at all. "The drone's wireless receiver is open on the bottom plate. The local network connection is weak down here in the tunnels. Break the antenna!"Chairman Femi’s voice came through the speaker again, low and smooth. "You are out of time, little rat. The bomb will wipe out the entire market sector above you. You cannot save her.""Watch me," I thought, my mind locking onto my remaining three shadow soldiers. "Jump! Tear that machine to pieces!"The three black figures made of thick smoke launched themselves upward from the stone ground. They climbed the concrete walls of the shaft like spiders, t

The cold steel barrel of my gun pressed hard against the center of Ifunanya's forehead."Say that again," I said, my finger shaking against the cold metal trigger. "Say it again and give me a reason not to open your skull right now."Ifunanya laughed, a small stream of blood running down from her cracked lips onto her white collar. She looked up at me with absolute certainty, knowing she had just bought her survival. "Your mother didn't die of the sickness, Zane. The Vanguard Guild needed an anchor for the primary power terminal on the Island. A specific type of bloodline that could handle ancient core radiation. They took her, put a fake body in the hospital morgue, and you buried a box of plastic bones.""Do not listen to her, boy," Tariq said, stepping forward. His blue mechanical arm sparked softly, the light dimming as his battery drained from the fight. "She is a snake from the upper city. She is spinning a story so you do not paint the floor with her brains. The moment you lowe

The glowing white blade in Ifunanya’s hand pointed straight at my chest.She looked immaculate, her high-grade hunter armor completely spotless compared to the dirty rags I wore. There was no pity in her eyes, only the cold calculation of an Island elite looking down at an ant."I knew you would crawl into a hole down here, Zane," Ifunanya said, her voice smooth and entirely detached. "You always were predictable. Hand over the girl and the drive, and I might ask the Chairman to let you live as a mining slave."My hands shook, but not because I was afraid. The memory of her smiling at me, pretending to care while helping Femi tear the core out of my sister, burned inside my throat. I raised the silver pistol, aiming it directly at her forehead."You will have to kill me first," I said."That can be arranged," she replied.With a quick flick of her wrist, the three large silver spider-drones leaped forward. Their metal legs clattered against the stone floor, their red scanning eyes loc

The blue metal arm moved faster than a bullet.Before I could pull the trigger of my silver pistol, the scarred man lunged forward. His metal fist slammed into the chest of my front shadow soldier. The black smoke body of the guard tore apart into tiny pieces, disappearing into the air instantly.Ding.Warning: Shadow Soldier 1 has been destroyed.Mana Level: 58 / 150.A sharp ache hit my forehead as the connection to that shadow broke. My mana was getting dangerously low. The scarred man did not stop. He swung his heavy metal arm again, knocking two more of my armored shadows into the stone wall. They did not disappear, but their blue eyes flickered weakly."You have neat tricks, boy," the man said, his single human eye tracking my movements. The blue metal of his arm began to glow brightly, making a high clicking sound. "But rank-F summons cannot block a rank-C bounty hunter. I am Tariq. I built these underground tunnels before you were even born."I pointed my gun straight at his f